The invention relates to a process for producing a semiconductor wafer by double-side grinding of the semiconductor wafer, in which the semiconductor wafer is simultaneously ground on both sides, first by rough-grinding and then by finish-grinding, using a grinding tool. The semiconductor wafer, between the rough-grinding and the finish-grinding, remains positioned in the grinding machine, and the grinding tool continues to apply a substantially constant load during the transition from rough-grinding to finish-grinding. The invention also relates to an apparatus for carrying out the process and to a semiconductor wafer having a local flatness value on a front surface of less than 16 nm in a measurement window of 2 mm×2 mm area and of less than 40 nm in a measurement window of 10 mm×10 mm area.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A process for planarizing a semiconductor wafer, comprising: holding the wafer in a workpiece holder in a free-floating position during grinding, double-side grinding the semiconductor wafer, in which the semiconductor wafer is simultaneously ground on both sides using two colinear, double spindle grinding tools, each double spindle haying an inner sub-spindle with one of a rough or finish grinding wheel and an outer sub-spindle with the other of a rough or finish grinding wheel, wherein the double-side grinding grinds firstly by simultaneously rough-grinding opposite sides of wafer and then by simultaneously finish-grinding opposite sides of wafer, wherein the semiconductor wafer, between rough-grinding and finish-grinding, remains positioned in one grinding machine, and a substantially constant load is applied to the wafer during the transition from rough-grinding to finish-grinding.
2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor wafer is is polished after double-side grinding.
3. The process of claim 1 , wherein an edge of the wafer is profiled by edge-rounding before or after double-side grinding.
4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the wafer is treated with an etching medium after double-side grinding, so as to remove material from one or both sides of the wafer.
5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the wafer acquires a nonplanar intermediate form during rough-grinding and a planar final form during finish grinding.
6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the wafer, after double-side grinding, is subjected to a material-removing subaperture process and is then polished.
7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the wafer, after double-side grinding, is subjected to material-removal polishing and finish polishing.
8. The process of claim 7 , wherein the material-removal polishing comprises double-side polishing or single-side polishing.
9. The process as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the material-removal polishing comprises polishing only a back surface of the wafer.
10. The process of claim 9 , wherein the material-removal polishing of the back surface of the wafer comprises a short polish which removes less than 5 μn of material from the back surface.
11. The process of claim 7 , wherein the wafer, prior to finish-polishing, is subjected to a material-removing subaperture process.
12. The process of claim 6 , wherein the wafer is machined using a magneto-rheological medium during the subaperture process.
13. The process of claim 11 , wherein the wafer is machined using a magneto-rheological medium during the subaperture process.
14. The process of claim 1 , wherein the colinearly mounted rough grinding wheels and colinearly mounted fine grinding wheels are respectively mounted on coaxial inner and outer spindles.
15. An apparatus suitable for the double-side grinding of flat workpieces comprising: a workpiece holder for holding the workpiece in a free-floating position during grinding, two colinear double spindlegrinding tools, each double spindle having an inner sub-spindle with one of a rough or finish grinding wheel and an outer sub-spindle with the other of a rough or finish grinding wheel, a device for loading and unloading a workpiece into the workpiece holder which is positioned between the double spindles, the sub-spindles positioned coaxially for grinding opposite sides of the workpiece, firstly by simultaneously rough-grinding opposite sides of workpiece and then by simultaneously finish-grinding opposite sides of workpiece, wherein the workpiece, between rough-grinding and finish-grinding, remains positioned in one grinding machine, and a substantially constant load is applied to the workpiece during the transition from rough-grinding to finish-grinding, at least one sub-spindle per double spindle being axially displaceable independently of the other sub-spindle of the double spindle.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the double spindles can be inclined from a position in which they are arranged co-linearly into a position in which they include an angle.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
November 16, 2007
January 11, 2011
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